Chapter 1 The top is just around the corner, take care of the Whitebeard Pirates?
In the sparkling calm sea of the New World, seagulls fly low, catching small fish. A massive pirate ship shaped like a whale, with the Whitebeard Pirates flag flying high, is floating there. The flag has a skull with a white beard crescent shape, identifying it as one of the Four Emperors. On the deck, the various division captains of the Whitebeard Pirate are gathered.
Marco, the first division commander, looks around at everyone and asks if something big is going on. In a large pirate group, each captain usually has their own tasks, and they rarely gather unless it's for a major action or celebration. This time, Whitebeard's call was more urgent, giving the captains a bad premonition.
Whitebeard, struggling to speak due to his health issues, tells his sons that something big is going to happen. They all express concern when they see him coughing violently. Whitebeard reassures them that his injury is just minor. "Gurararara ~ This injury is not significant enough to cause me any trouble.."
Recently, Whitebeard discovered that Ace, his son, has been captured by the Marine. This worries him even more because Marine has suddenly shown interest in Ace, indicating that they may know his true identity as the bloodline of the former Pirate King Roger. Whitebeard foresees that a battle between Marine and their pirate group is on the horizon.
Majima tried to warn Whitebeard about Teach's ambitions, Whitebeard would interrupt him and not allow anyone to speak ill of his "family". As a result, Majima had to quietly warn the fourth division commander, Thatch. However, Thatch was optimistic and believed that Teach could not harm him.
Whitebeard recognizes that majima speaks the truth and that he has no bad intentions. Even though majima's honesty sometimes made Whitebeard feel frustrated, it was ultimately proved that majima was correct in his observations, such as when he noticed Teach's rebellious behavior.
These realizations make Whitebeard sad because he believes that if he had listened to majima's warnings, Thatch might not have died, and Ace might not have gone after Teach and been captured by the Marines. Whitebeard realizes that it was his own fault for not heeding majima's warnings.
Whitebeard's injury worsened at a critical time, and he knew that it would be a severe blow to the morale of the entire pirate group if it were to be passed on. Thus, he decided to temporarily suppress his injuries while waiting for the battle with Marine. Although a complete cure was impossible, he found a treatment that could seal the injury temporarily. However, this treatment was only a temporary solution and would eventually lead to the injury exploding.
When that happened, Whitebeard's body would collapse like a decayed building. But despite the risks, Whitebeard was determined to save Ace and protect his other sons. He wanted to give them one last light and warmth, even though he was a remnant of the old age.
"My children, I am about to take action. When I return, it is very possible that Whitebeard Pirates will face a major battle!" He instructed them not to engage in any conflicts with other Four Emperors during his absence and designated the captain of the zero division as the temporary captain to give instructions to the crew.
Whitebeard's directive surprised the captains, who were confused about the captain of the zero division they thought Whitebeard was joking at first. However, after Whitebeard mentioned the zero division multiple times, they realized that this mysterious captain truly existed and was in charge of the entire team.
They had never seen or heard of the zero division captain before. Whitebeard's mention of the captain piqued their interest, as he was a mysterious figure who had defeated Marco to become captain of all the squads.
The captains were curious to meet this legendary figure and see if he possessed the Conqueror's Haki. Suddenly, Whitebeard spotted a small ship approaching in the distance with a smile on his face.